Sends a signal to a process, usually related to stopping the process. All signals except for SIGKILL and SIGSTOP can be intercepted by the process to perform a clean exit.
# To terminate a program using the default SIGTERM (terminate) signal:
kill <process_id>
# To list available signal names (to be used without the 'SIG' prefix):
kill -l
# To terminate a background job:
kill %<job_id>
# To terminate a program using the SIGHUP (hang up) signal. Many daemons will reload instead of terminating:
kill -<1|HUP> <process_id>
# To terminate a program using the SIGINT (interrupt) signal. This is typically initiated by the user pressing 'Ctrl + C':
kill -<2|INT> <process_id>
# To signal the operating system to immediately terminate a program (which gets no chance to capture the signal):
kill -<9|KILL> <process_id>
# To signal the operating system to pause a program until a SIGCONT ("continue") signal is received:
kill -<17|STOP> <process_id>
# To send a 'SIGUSR1' signal to all processes with the given GID (group id):
kill -<SIGUSR1> -<group_id>